


Come Dine with Me, Stardew Valley style

by lmizutani



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-16
Updated: 2018-12-16
Packaged: 2019-09-19 22:41:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17010525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lmizutani/pseuds/lmizutani
Summary: Abigail, Sam, Sebastian and Alex had all entered a contest online, inspired by the Come Dine with Me franchise.  Normally a contest where four strangers get together, host dinner parties for the other guests who judge the party - food, entertainment, atmosphere - however else one could judge a good party.  The prize is 1000 G.For the trio, it is just a chance to fulfil their own dreams.  For Alex it is a chance to make amends for his past treatment of the trio.Who would win the contest?





	1. Come Dine with Me - The Contestants

**Author's Note:**

  * For [mimosa-supernova (FourCatProductions)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/FourCatProductions/gifts).



Welcome to Pelican Town. Four of the residents have signed up to participate in a cooking contest. This comprises of hosting a dinner party for three other people. The original contest has four strangers getting together. However, this being Stardew Valley, there are no strangers in this little town. At least not until the following spring when the granddaughter of the former owner of Sakura Farms is planning to take over the farm. The prize is 1000 G. A shout out was made online for possible competitors. Only four people were courageous enough to take the bite. These four were all of the young professional age, in their mid to late twenties. Two of them had egged the third member of their own group to join in on the contest. The fourth member found out about the contest from his friends in Zuzu City. He had thought it may be a fun activity and would at least help him socialize with other people his own age. 

The contestants are:

Sam 

Sebastian 

Abigail

Alex.

Wait, what? None of them can cook – at least they do not appear to be master chefs or anything close to it. Sebastian did make a plate of spaghetti once for his mother, Robin, but that was the extent of his cooking expertise. Sam, well, one can never trust him near a stove. He did, after all, once put anchovies into the communal soup one Luau festival ago. Abigail considers amethysts to be edible, which signals a small possibility that she has some heavy duty chewing action happening. 

Alex seems to be the only one who could even come close to creating a meal. He is after all, a champion of the complete breakfast of hash browns, fried eggs and pancakes.

So, what was it that enticed the four of them to even enter this contest? 

For Sam it was the money first and foremost. He wanted to buy a proper guitar to play for the band he was forming. At least he had hoped to form if they could figure out what type of band they are.

For Sebastian, it was to prove to his stepfather, Demetrius, that he can be an asset to the family and that he is not merely wasting his time on the computer watching cat videos all day long. Not that there was anything wrong with cat videos. He had been initially reluctant to participate in the contest, but Sam and Abigail both told him that it may be a lot of fun and the two of them had entered. It would not be the same without their third musketeer. 

For Abigail, it was just the idea of getting out in the world. Her parents never seem to understand that she simply wanted to be her own person, not merely someone who helps out at the store and stay at home cooking and cleaning. If she had her way, she would be down at the mines swinging her sword against the mythical creatures that lurk down there. 

As for Alex, he believes that this could be a ticket to a second career – or at least one that he could do while waiting for his big break on the professional Gridball field. He also hopes that he can mend ties with the trio. They always seem to be doing everything together – from playing in a makeshift band, to playing tabletop games, to playing pool at the saloon on Fridays. Although he will admit to himself that he had not treated the three of them very well while they were all at Zuzu High School, he has grown up a bit and hope that they would be able to find some common ground...somewhere.

The rules of the contest, as explained to the four of them beforehand, was that each one was to host a dinner party that the others will attend. They are allowed to have advisors, but no one is allowed to actually help them with the execution of the dinner preparations and subsequent party. Each one will secretly vote on how well each host performed. At the end of the week, one person will be declared the winner of the 1000 G jackpot.


	2. Sam's Party

The first host of the series of dinner parties is Sam. He decided that since three of the four of them are part of his band, the entertainment sector will feature the band's new music. The three of them had taped a demo CD over the last month, hoping to use it as part of their marketing campaign. They do not have a particular musical genre chosen; they do not even have a particular audience to aim for. Therefore, the CD is a compilation of various covers. To a discerning eye, the CD was a mess, but it was theirs. 

Sam thought long and hard over a possible menu to serve his guests. He knew that Abigail would eat almost anything, but Sebastian had to be one of the pickiest eaters he had known. As for Alex, Sam knew him from early elementary school; however, Sam had moved to Pelican Town with his mother and his younger brother Vincent, soon after Vincent was born. The two of them met again in high school; but by that time, Sam had a very close knit friendship with Sebastian and Abigail. Alex for his part kept himself to his fellow Gridball teammates. Their paths rarely crossed unless absolutely necessary.

So he decided he will make at least an egg fest that would not gross Sebastian out too much. 

He hoped.

Sam did find out in his research online that there is a sushi form that uses egg. Sebastian likes sushi. Abigail could take it or leave it. When she and Sebastian dated back in high school, she became accustomed to the idea of raw fish. Alex liked eggs in any form but Sam was not sure about how he would like sushi.

He further found out that he could actually cheat on the sushi rolling. There was a type of sushi that replicates the fried rice idea and is a lot easier to accomplish.

Now that the main course has been dealt with, he went shopping. Unfortunately, he had to succumb to shopping at the Joja Mart for Abigail's father's store does not have the ingredients necessary for the sushi dish. There was a small consolation that at least he could utilize his employee discount. 

His mother and younger brother, Vincent, were invited to Marnie's ranch – Vincent so that he could spend time with his playmate, Jas, and Jodi could get to know Marnie better. The two women participated in exercise class together on Tuesdays but other than that, they hardly spend time together. It also allowed Sam full reign on the house to work his magic – whatever that was worth.

In the end the menu consisted of an appetizer of edamame, store bought version, sushi in loose rice format, and an assortment of fruit for dessert.

When he had returned home with the ingredients, Sam went to work 

First of all, he had asked Sebastian's mother to borrow the rice cooker so that he could make the rice with as little fuss as possible. However, as it was his first time using it, it burned the first batch of rice he attempted. Fortunately, he still had plenty of rice left and his second batch came out much better. 

That done, and the fruit having been cut up into bite sized pieces, he went ahead and made sushi rice with what he hoped was proper rice wine vinegar and sugar. Carefully he measured the proportions and prayed to Yoba. Hopefully Yoba heard his prayer since he was not a praying person like his parents were. 

After about ten minutes of mixing and taste testing, Sam felt that he has his main course under control. The only thing left to do is to get dressed and wait for the guests to arrive. As this was to be a casual affair, he just put on a cleaner pair of jeans and a clean shirt.

The first person to arrive was Abigail. She was primly dressed in a pair of skinny jeans, with a pink blouse and black boots. Taking her coat, Sam told her to just head to the kitchen. He offered her a choice between Joja cola, sparkling orange juice (which is basically orange juice mixed with sparkling water) or coffee. She decided to try the sparkling orange juice. 

After one sip of the juice, she nearly choked as the drink went down the wrong pipe. 

Just as she regained her composure, the door knocked again, welcoming Sebastian to the fray. 

As he usually does, Sebastian opted for coffee, light on the sugar. He greeted Abigail with a side hug and a kiss on the cheek. Even though they are no longer a couple, they had parted as good friends and would still look out for one another. They still hung out together with Sam at the saloon on Friday nights. They still play Solarian Chronicles on Saturday afternoons. 

Both Sebastian and Abigail wondered who the fourth guest would be. They knew that there was a fourth person joining them for dinner but they do not know the identity of said person. 

Sam knew the identity of the fourth guest, but he kept that information from Sebastian and Abigail. In the meantime, the three of them confirmed their plans for band practice and game night for the next day. The dinner parties were to be held every other day, allowing one day for the host to plan and one day to execute said plan. 

A knock on the door announced the arrival of the fourth, mystery guest. Abigail, being the closest to the door, went to greet the guest...and nearly dropped her drink in surprise. 

The fourth guest is Alex, one of the reasons the three of them found high school to be a trying time and who, inadvertently, brought the three of them closer together uniting in their dislike of Alex and the group he hung out with.

For his part, Alex was not as surprised to see Abigail – and Sebastian who had joined Abigail at the door. He had figured since he had the invitation to go to Sam's house for the dinner party that it would be very likely that Abigail and Sebastian would not be too far behind. Although both Sebastian and Abigail were dismayed to find out that Alex was the fourth guest in the dinner party, they were too polite to say anything out loud. 

They glanced at each other and decided to keep a close eye on Alex and not trust anything that came out of his mouth. Sebastian is willing to allow Alex to join the party; Abigail was less than welcoming. Alex had made his views known about Abigail's questionable parentage, believing the rumor that she was not Pierre's real daughter; that, in fact, Caroline was seen coming out of the Wizard's tower more than once or twice in the early morning hours around a year prior to Abigail's birth. Abigail did not take kindly to that, even though she herself was not all that enamored about Pierre as a father. Alex went further to say that like mother like daughter as if Abigail was a slut as the town had perceived her mother to be at the time. She was not willing to be as forgiving to Alex for that. However, she was not about to ruin Sam's party with drama. 

Abigail, Sebastian and Alex sat around the kitchen table as Sam set out his edamame appetizers. Sebastian thought it was an okay beginning but it seemed to be more of something for their game night than for a dinner party. Abigail was indifferent. Alex did not know what to do with the beans so he popped one in his mouth intact, only to choke on it. Sebastian slapped Alex in the back in hoping to stop the latter's cough but to no avail. However, Alex did manage to cough up the bean and spit it back on the napkin. 

Sam took pity on Alex and showed him how to eat edamame. The skin was basically inedible as it was very hard. It was almost like eating peanuts out of the shell, he explained. Once Alex understood the art of eating edamame, he found that he actually liked it. 

The four of them then grabbed bowls from Sam's cupboard as he had mentioned that the main course will be served a la carte. Each of them scooped some of the rice dish into their bowls, although Sebastian wondered what in the world this particular dish was. He was surprised to find out that it was actually sushi – it was not the sushi that he knew. Sam explained that it was actually sushi rice and that according to the internet it is quite popular in Japan. It was a good thing to know as they had all heard that the new resident arriving to Pelican town next spring is flying in from Japan. Although Sam had originally thought about this dish as to cater to both Sebastian's love of sushi and Alex's love of eggs without making the other person sick in the stomach, news of the new resident's arrival had played a small role in Sam's menu choices.

The four of them ate in silence. None of them knew what to say to one another. Although Sam, Sebastian and Abigail hung out together often and had no loss of things to say, once Alex entered into the circle, they were all wary of one another. 

Sam was first to break the silence.

“So, Alex, how are your grandparents?” Sam asked.

Alex looked up from his plate. He had his head kept down the whole time he was eating after that spectacle with the edamame. “They are doing fine, thank you,” he replied politely. 

Sebastian joined the conversation. “So, how did you like Zuzu City when you lived there?” He had always wanted to move to the city and was saving up for it with the proceeds from his freelance programming contracts. 

Alex looked down. Sam, who knew Alex from years ago, also knew that his childhood was not the happiest. In fact, if rumors at the time were true, Alex had an abusive father and a mother who was very ill at the time. It was only after his mother passed away one summer in Alex's junior year that he had moved to Pelican town to live with his grandparents – his father had abandoned the family soon after his wife's passing. There had also been rumors floating around the school at the time that he had abused his wife as well. It may well have killed her indirectly. But no one in their right mind would say so in front of him.

Sebastian, always noticing nuances in other people's expressions, knew that he had somehow hit a sore subject. “You do not have to say anything if you do not want to,” he added.

Alex, for his part, decided to partially answer Sebastian's question. “It was all right, I suppose. I did not live in the greatest of neighbourhoods growing up. I thought you would have already asked Sam. He grew up in a better neighbourhood than where I was.”

“Sam, idiot that he is, never says anything that would help. All he tells me is that it was okay and nothing really special. I wanted another opinion, to be honest.”

“Well, if I were you, if you ever decide to live there, avoid the west side. That's where all the crime and drugs are. Unless you are into that sort of thing.”

Sebastian would prefer to avoid those seedy areas himself, if only to reassure Robin that he would be okay living in the city.

Abigail, ever watching Alex out of the corner of her eye, kept herself aloof. She was not willing to budge an inch in accommodating him into the group, even out of politeness. Both Sam and Sebastian knew that she tended to hold grudges for a long time for hurts committed by persons who had long forgotten what it was. 

Alex decided to change the subject, hoping to bring Abigail into the conversation. He was hoping that all three of them would eventually see that he had changed from the boy he had been in high school. Sam seemed to be willing to let bygones be bygones. Sebastian appeared to be more reluctant but at least he was willing to let Alex prove himself. Now, Abigail was a tough one, Alex found. She seemed out of all of them, to be the one who really did not want Alex to be with them; however, she also knew that she was somewhat outnumbered and therefore had to bow to the majority rule. Besides, it was a short term competition and hopefully once it was over, she could go back to avoiding Alex.

“So, what do you guys think of the new game that came out this week...what was it called...Shadows over Camelot?”

None of them have heard of the game; all three of them were surprised that Alex even knew of a game that they had not heard of before. If it was a game. There was a possibility that he was just trying to bluff his way into the group because he knew that the three of them loved playing games.

“No, seriously,” Alex said. “It is a co-operative game set in the time of King Arthur. I think you three may like it, if you want to try it out.”

Sebastian, the gamer of the three, said that he was willing to take a look at it and it would be possible to play this at a future game night. Perhaps Alex would wish to join them?

Abigail motioned with her hand across the throat, saying behind Alex's back, “No, no, no, do not let him play with us! Remember how he treated us back in high school?” 

Sebastian ignored Abigail. Sam, not seeing what was going on between Seb and Abby, decided he would be willing to try out the game and to let Alex play...just this one time, mind.

Defeated, Abigail sighed and relented, saying that Alex can join their next game night. 

Although the three of them had a Solarian Chronicles campaign ongoing, they decided that they would try out this Shadows over Camelot that Alex suggested, for the next party. 

Meanwhile, the four of them helped themselves to the fruit platter that Sam had taken out of the refrigerator. Along with refills of their drinks, Alex gave Sebastian and Sam his contact info to put into their phones as well as taking their info into his phone. 

It was time for Sebastian, Abigail and Alex to step outside to fill out the ballots and judge how Sam's dinner party on the food front. The menu was quite underwhelming, the three of them decided separately.

For the entertainment portion of the night, Sam had brought out his guitar, to the mutual groans of both Seb and Abby. They were hoping to be entertained, not be the entertainment. But they also knew that Sam wanted for the band to have a gig sooner rather than later. And what better way to advertise than to perform in front of a live – if captive – audience. 

Alex was not a musical guru but he did like a wide range of musical genres – his mother made sure that he at least had some sort of cultural upbringing. 

Sam, Abigail and Sebastian went into Sam's room to set up their instruments, while Alex wandered around the house. It was the first time that Alex had ventured into another person's home – he was afraid of what his father would be like after a day of drinking so he rarely invited people over to his place and as he felt he could never reciprocate, he never did accept many invitations to other people's homes. It was an average family home – something that Alex had no idea or clue about; his home being as far from average as it could get. Photos were on the kitchen fridge along with Vincent's recent crayon drawings, Jodi's shopping list and Sam and Vincent's list of chores to be done around the house. 

Sam called out to Alex from the bedroom, saying that they were ready.

“Since we do not have a music genre, I thought maybe we could entertain with a few covers of our favourite songs,” Sam announced, with a guitar riff played in the background. 

It was nothing really exciting, Alex thought. It only had emphasized the outsider feeling that Alex felt whenever he was within range of the trio. The three of them played well together; he gave them that. The music was a nice touch to the evening. After about three songs, Seb and Abby declared that that was enough for one night. Besides it was getting late and Alex did not want to wake his grandparents up if he could avoid it. 

So, the three of them took their leave of Sam's house. However, before they were allowed to go home, they had to fill in a questionnaire about how the night went in their opinion. The music was a nice touch, Alex thought. Seb and Abby both thought that they should have been able to relax rather than play for the one person who they did not quite consider to be an enemy but definitely did not consider to be a friend.

The verdict for Sam's dinner – average.


	3. Alex's party

Sebastian was already thinking about his upcoming dinner party. He was actually glad that Alex had suggested Shadows over Camelot. He was a little tired of the Solarian Chronicles campaign and wanted something a little different. Besides, he was not up to creating a new character sheet for Alex in order to let him in the game. 

Sebastian looked up the game on the internet and from what he could see, it may be something that he could sink his teeth into. That could be something for the entertainment portion of the dinner party. Now to figure out the actual menu. 

He does cook his own meals and pay the rent for his basement room to his mother. However, he did not think that having frozen dinners multiplied by four would go over well on a dinner party competition. The only thing that he could think of making was spaghetti, simple and easy.

Or so he had thought. He thought using his mother's recipe was cheating as both Sam and Abigail had partaken of the dish on numerous game nights before. So he decided to up his game and see if he can do a more authentic version of spaghetti.

He found out that the version that his mother usually makes is not authentic at all. It had been a New York creation. So in searching for the authentic spaghetti recipe, he found that he had his work cut out for him. Now he has to learn how to make authentic spaghetti and learn now to play a new game. He is very thankful that he had finished his freelance contracts and had submitted his invoices for payment.

First up is to see if he can obtain a copy of the game. Since Alex was the one who had suggested it, he sent a text message to see if there was a copy to borrow.

Alex replied that he could obtain a copy from someone he knew in Zuzu City. However, he cannot get it before the next dinner party date. 

Well, that plus learning a new recipe for spaghetti may force Sebastian to switch dinner dates with either Abigail or Alex. Abigail had a test coming up in a couple of days so she had no time to plan a dinner party on top of the studying. So, he had no choice but to ask if Alex was willing to change dates with him.

Alex is more than willing to switch dates with Sebastian. It turned out to be a big advantage as he would have his dinner over with and then only have to worry about having some semblance of fun at Sebastian's and Abigail's parties. His grandmother wanted him to help out more around the house anyway so it should be in top shape to host a party. Although the party rules state that no outside guests were allowed to these parties during the competition, there is an exception as long as all parties agree to it. 

Alex asked the trio if it was all right if his grandparents stayed nearby while he hosted the dinner party.

Sam was in agreement. Sebastian said it was okay as it would be difficult for his grandfather to go somewhere else for about four or five hours at a moment's notice. Abigail liked Grandma Evelyn and got along with his grandfather. 

Everyone was in agreement, so Alex told Sebastian that he could switch dates with him. 

Alex's plan was to at least make some headway into apologizing for the way he treated the trio back in high school. He knew that Sam was up for anything and would be happy to have something edible. Sebastian's love for sushi and sashimi was quite the talk of the town, especially when they were posted as specials at the Stardrop Saloon. Whenever either dish was available, one can usually count on Sebastian to eat most of it. Abigail, though, he was not so sure about. 

So it was time for Alex to do some research about Abigail's likes and dislikes.

His grandmother is close to Abigail's mother. Caroline usually helps Evelyn out with the care of the town's flower beds whenever she was free. So perhaps, his grandmother may have some ideas about Caroline's daughter.

As it had turned out, she had a wealth of information. Abigail likes amethysts which is not edible, but she also loves pumpkin. It is pumpkin season after all so the vegetable is easy to obtain. Caroline once gave Evelyn a recipe for pumpkin soup. Which, according to his source on Sebastian, aka Sam, the dark haired man loved as well. 

So Alex decided to center his dinner menu around pumpkin. Pumpkin soup is an easy starter. His mother had a recipe for it that came down from her parents that he was sure that the trio would like. 

Now for the main course that would fit with the pumpkin theme. His first thought was perhaps having ham or something along those lines. Alex had found out a while back in high school that Sebastian hated eggs and egg dishes. He was not entirely certain that ham would go well with pumpkin soup; however, he figured that it was easy to make – just take the ham and bake it for a couple of hours. His grandmother's cookies would make an easy dessert offering as he knew that they are quite famous in Stardew Valley. 

As for the entertainment portion of the night, Alex was stumped. He is not as enthusiastic about video games as Abigail is. He never heard of the Journey of the Prairie King until he had arrived in Stardew Valley. He does not own a console. His grandfather would complain if the television was moved even into his bedroom. The only thing that may work is a night at the beach...

A night at the beach? Sebastian cringed when he heard about that. He rarely ventures outdoors except on rainy days as he prefers the solitude of the beach when no one was around – aside from an old mariner rumoured to be seen in the area on such days but no one has been able to prove his existence. Oh, at least it was at night time. It would be a lot cooler than the daylight.

Abigail also was a little curious about the night at the beach. She knew that Alex used to hang out there a lot with Haley, another girl who she did not get along with. It was no wonder – the two of them seem to belong together in her eyes. But that was neither here nor there, she thought. It was not the night of the Moonlight Jellies so it would be just the four of them on the beach. It would probably be too dark by the time they arrive at the beach so she would not expect much of a gridball match or anything remotely resembling sports activities. Maybe they would just hang out together. Who knew – and Abigail thought who cared?

On the day of Alex's party, the four of them met at the saloon as Alex's grandparents lived near there and Alex had decided to start the party there instead of at his house. Gus, the barkeep and owner of the Stardrop was allowing the four of them to use a private room at the back of the bar for their party. 

Alex had the food made at his grandparents house the day before. He had baked his grandmother's cookies numerous times when he was young so he was comfortable with the recipe. As for the pumpkin soup, he found an instant pot recipe online and decided to go for that. The ham was baked already when it was purchased. All Alex needed to do is to glaze it with a brown sugar, mustard and vinegar glaze and poke a few cloves in for good measure. Gus had also kindly allowed Alex to use his oven for the occasion. Just to keep the ham warm while everyone was enjoying the pumpkin soup. 

As the trio arrived at the saloon together, they had debated whether to squeeze in a game of the Journey of the Prairie King at the arcade prior to going to the party. Sam thought it was a bad idea, but Abigail wanted to continue practicing. She had signed up for an online tournament held during the winter break from her online college classes and she needed all the help she could get while she could get it. 

Seb and Sam left Abigail at the arcade and joined Alex in the private dining room. 

“Where's Abigail?” Alex asked when he saw only the two males come into the room. 

“Playing Journey of the Prairie King,” Sebastian deadpanned. “If she does not show up in fifteen minutes, I'll go grab her.”

Since there was nothing to be done except to wait for Abby to show up, Sebastian asked Alex about the Shadows over Camelot game that was mentioned at Sam's dinner party. 

“Essentially it's a typical battle of good vs. evil. The good guys are hoping to earn enough points to host a dinner while the bad guys are trying to sabotage the town and the knights efforts. It consists of a series of quests that have to be completed. Each one has its own requirements. I know that you guys played Dungeons and Dragons back in school so this should be up your alley.”

“Sounds interesting,” Sam said. 

“I was thinking of playing this game during my dinner party, if you two are up for it.” Sebastian added.

Both Sam and Alex were in agreement. Unfortunately, that meant that even if Abigail did not want to participate she would definitely be outnumbered. The three males were a little concerned that Abigail had seemed to get the short end of the stick lately. 

Abigail showed up ten minutes later. Once she was told of the plans for Sebastian's party, she readily agreed to the idea. It sounded fun, she said. It could turn into quite the adventure that she loves. Although it was not quite like going to the mines for treasures this could suffice for now.

Alex then proceeded in presenting his meal. He began by serving bowls of pumpkin soup. Everyone raved over the taste and it is a huge hit with the trio.

So far so good, Alex thought. But it is not over until it's over as they say.

The main course was not a huge sell, unfortunately. Sam and Sebastian liked it well enough but it was nothing special. Abigail did not like ham so that was a major fail.

Dessert on the other hand was a major hit. As was expected from Granny Evelyn's chocolate chip cookies – even if Alex had done all the baking. 

Overall the reviews on Alex's dinner menu were mixed. Sam and Sebastian gave a passing mark, while Abigail felt that even the cookies and the pumpkin soup could not make up for the major fail that was the main course. 

After dinner, the four of them headed to the beach for the entertainment. The trio had no idea what sort of entertainment Alex had in mind when he suggested a night at the beach. They had all visited the beach during the day – even Sebastian only ventures to the beach on rainy days, not rainy nights. 

But Alex had a surprise for all three of them. The sky is clear and the stars shone brightly. While all of them looked, a shooting star passed. All of them believed that wishes made when viewing a shooting star came true. Alex wished for better relations with the trio. That they would all go past whatever had happened in high school and become more civil if not good friends. Sam wished that his father would come home safe and sound. Abigail wished for her parents to be more understanding of her desire to explore the world beyond Stardew Valley. Sebastian merely wished that he could get out to the city and away from Demetrius – although he admitted that he would miss his mother.

The trio were quiet during their time at the beach. They thought that no words were needed. For the first time, they felt comfortable in Alex's presence. He did not do anything outrageous or insulting like he had during their high school years. In fact he seemed even quieter than they were. 

Soon it was time for the four of them to head back to town before their parents or grandparents decided to send out search parties. However, before they did, the trio decided – individually – that Alex's party was better than they had expected. 


	4. Abigail's Party

For the next few days after Alex's party, Sam, Sebastian and Abigail got together at Abby's to help her with her Journey of the Prairie King tournament preparations. They all helped her practice her moves and gave her some tips on how to avoid getting hit on multiple fronts and what possible tactics her opponents may take. Abigail was also using this time to think about what she should be doing for her dinner party. She already knew what Sam and Sebastian liked and disliked. Alex was an unknown entity and a wild card in her mind. 

Sebastian suggested that for the time being at least Abby should put down her daggers for the night and be at least civil to Alex. It may be easier said than done, the two males admitted, but it would make for an easier time for all of them. Alex could even surprise them all.

Abigail found a recipe for rhubarb pie online and already had that lined up as her dessert option. The main course was a no brainer in her mind. Alex liked heavy duty protein – judging from what he had offered at his own party but that was not very helpful. Seb liked sashimi which she found to be gross, pumpkin soup, which was already done, and sushi also already done. Sam was an easy person to please. The best thing she could come up with is something called a carp surprise. Basically it is a dish of baked carp, plentiful in the river and the lake by Seb's house. Her mother, in fact, had just acquired some from Willy after his last fishing expedition, in the freezer so it should be an easy win.  
At least Sam and Seb should side with her in an argument between her and Alex.

As for entertainment she thought to bring out her spirit board. A good old talk with the spirits could bring about some interesting revelations. Like when Abby and Seb started dating the board had informed them that they would be the best of friends but nothing more. 

Oh well, it should be an easy going dinner anyway. At this point Abby did not care whether she wins the competition or not. She is finally starting to warm up to Alex and seeing that he is being serious about making amends for past behaviour. She is not quite on board like Sam and, to some extent, Seb were. However, now she was willing to give Alex another chance. But if he blows it this time, it would be game over.

As she busied herself with the dinner preparations and subsequent spirit board, her mother noticed that she had not been as abrasive as she had been for the past few days. 

Abby told her mother that it is no longer a competition. At least it no longer felt that way. 

Caroline was glad – she did not like it when her daughter was stressed excessively over anything. She seemed to be doing well in her online courses – at least she thinks so. Abby never did tell her mother about what she is taking online or how well she was doing. Abby had taken a magic major in the guise of sociology with a minor in chemistry. It was only a matter of time before she could become the wizard's apprentice. That was her ultimate dream; although she would not say no to a prize of 1000 G.

The store was closed for the evening. Sam and Sebastian knew to go to the back in order to reach Abby's home without having to deal with anyone trying to get into the store proper. 

Unfortunately, Alex was not privy to that information. He tried knocking on the storefront door for about five minutes. Sam, who was just about to head over to the back door, found Alex and motioned to him to follow. 

No one had told him that he had to go through a different entrance. He did not know there was a separate entrance to Abigail's home. Not that he needed to know as he was not the best of friends with the girl. 

Abby welcomed Sam and Alex, saying that Sebastian was already in the kitchen. After greeting each other they all proceeded to the kitchen table and allowed Abby to serve her dinner menu.

Her appetizer is nothing of note. It was edible at least. No one was poisoned, which was what Alex was afraid of. He knew that he had a long way to go in order to make up for all the bad things he had done to the trio. But he is thankful that he is able to make amends. It looks like Abby is finally giving him a chance to do so. 

For the main course, it was a lot of fish. A bit too much fish for Sam's liking. He liked fish like the next guy but he is not as enthused about it as either Sebastian or Alex were. But to his surprise, the fish was nicely done, not overcooked to the point where it would be better off in a fish casserole like his mother likes to make. The fish is flaky enough to eat without a knife.  
Both Sebastian and Alex give the main course a thumbs up. They liked fish dishes in general. A common ground neither knew they had, until the whole competition started. As the four of them got together they got to know each other better over the meal. Most of the assumptions they had held about one another no longer held any water. 

The rhubarb pie that Abby offered for dessert also is a hit with the three males at the table. It was not too sweet which suited Sebastian, not too bitter which suited Sam and just plain delicious according to Alex. 

Abby had a feeling that there is a chance that she would actually win the competition. But she also knew that Seb still had to host his dinner party and as he was planning a game night complete with dinner she was silently hoping that if she did not win that he would. Sam and Alex were fine and all that but she still liked Seb better than the other two.

After dinner, the gang moved into the main room for the entertainment. As all of them guessed it was a spirit board taking center stage. 

Alex offered to give it a try for his first time. He asked if his mother was happy wherever she is. The others looked at each other – they all knew that Alex lost his mother a long time ago. 

Sebastian and Sam both realized that this may be a key to knowing why Alex had behaved the way he did during their high school years. Anyone would acted out if there was that type of thing going on back home. They did not know about his father's alcohol addition nor the abuse he and his mother suffered in his hands. 

Abigail whispered the question to the board and everyone waited anxiously for the reply, Alex more so than the others. Finally after a few tense minutes of waiting, the reply came that Alex's mother has found peace. It reassured Alex enough that he felt that the night was worth participating in this competition. No matter what the ultimate outcome was. 

Seb was next with his question to the spirit board. He asked if he was destined to be happy in the city or was there another plan in the offing. It was not as intense a question as Alex's was, but both Sam and Seb, along with Abigail waited with bated breath for the answer. Strangely, the board did not say definitively whether Seb would find happiness in the city or if he would be better off in the Valley. It is a feeling that Seb himself was starting to realize. The city may well not be what it claims to be, the board seems to be telling him. 

After such an ambiguous answer, Sam's question was simple – will his father return to the Valley alive? Alex knew what Sam was feeling. He had hoped and prayed that his mother would have recovered from cancer all those years ago but that did not come true. He hoped that it would not be the same for Sam. The board replied that in fact Sam's father will return alive. But that did not necessarily mean that he would still be the same as he was when he had left to fight the Gotoro Empire.

Finally Abigail asked the board whether she will be successful after graduating from college. The board replied that she would be successful but not necessarily in the way she thinks of success. That confused everyone at the table but they thought no more about it as it was almost midnight at that point. It was time for everyone to go home. 

But before they did so, they put in their votes for Abigail's dinner party. They all unanimously thought the dinner was a success but the entertainment was interesting. 

This leaves the last dinner party and the finale of the competition to come.


	5. Sebastian's Party

Sebastian had used the extra time granted by Alex's willingness to switch the order of the hosting to his advantage. He had to learn the Shadows over Camelot game from watching playthroughs online between his freelancing projects. It seemed that this game could be a great complement to their Solarian Chronicles sessions where they may need to take a breather. Also super helpful is that the characters are more or less predetermined and they could actually turn it into a series of campaigns for the four of them to continue playing – should Alex decide that he wants to continue meeting up with the trio.

Dinner was easy – he was going with the original plan of making spaghetti. The authentic version, not the one that his mother makes. He makes the dough from scratch. Rolls it into strips. Boils the newly cut pasta in boiling salt water for a few minutes until it has just been cooked but not overly soft. For the sauce he kept it very simple. He peels some tomatoes, chops them finely and places them aside. Pours some cream into a pan and stirs in the tomatoes for colour. After a few minutes he adds chopped mushrooms and tops it off with some chives. Unconventional, he realized a little late, but it would have to do.

He wanted to show off his newly found cooking skills with the homemade spaghetti; however it did not turn out the way he had hoped. Fortunately, he had made some pasta and sauce earlier that week when he had originally planned to host the dinner – it was his mother's recipe so it was not as authentic as he would have liked but doubted that anyone else would notice the difference. At least he hoped they did not.

Dessert was a simple chocolate cake. He had learned the recipe from Caroline, Abigail's mother, while he was dating Abby. Melted chocolate in the microwave. Added cream and sugar. Stir until it was at a smooth consistency. Then he added that mixture to a bowl of flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. It looked kind of lumpy to him but went with it. Poured it into a baking dish and baked it for about twenty five minutes or so. The frosting was also premade ahead of time.

No sooner than the food was in the fridge cooling and waiting for the guests to arrive when all three of them showed up at the same time. Sam and Alex met up at the general store to pick up Abigail and all three of them walked up the hillside to Sebastian's. The four of them settled themselves in the kitchen at the back of the carpentry shop for dinner.

Sebastian's appetizer was a simple selection of various sushi – all cooked – including the egg sushi that he had learned online. Unlike Sam's version, Seb had rolled his sushi into the proper maki style. Everyone enjoyed the appetizer. Surprisingly Sebastian seemed to be quite calm and at home. Sam and Abby would have thought that Seb may have a panic attack shortly after their arrival with nerves. But he seemed to be in his element. It was his home after all. Alex was no longer the stranger in the group. Being the final dinner party host did have its advantages.

The main course followed with all eyes on the spaghetti. They all thought that it was just a replica of Robin's spaghetti and possibly Seb was cheating on this one. At least they all thought so until they tasted it. It was quite different than what Robin would serve. Sebastian admitted that he had found the recipe online one day a long time ago and his mother had thought that recipe was even better than her own.  
Seb said that the dessert will come later, after everyone had finished eating their dinner. The Shadows over Camelot game awaited the new knights of the round table so to speak.

As Sebastian informed the others about the rules and objectives of the game, they all caught on quite quickly. Alex admitted that he had played this game once before which was why he had suggested that this may be a cool game for the trio to play. Sam and Abby both found it to be similar to one of their Solarion Chronicles campaigns. They had all enjoyed learning the game and although they ended up losing the quest, they said that they would be willing to play again – and the trio were also willing to allow Alex to come back to play another game with them. Maybe even have a character made up for Alex in their Solarian Chronicles game.

The four of them then took in Sebastian's dessert offering: chocolate cake that appeared so decadent that it would rival one of a certain brand name's decadent cookies.  Sebastian never did like sweets so he did not know how to gauge the sweetness level - however, it appeared that all three of them have a sweet tooth.  They all loved the dessert.

Finally relaxing over a cup of coffee for Sebastian, Sam and Abigail and a mug of hot cider for Alex, it was time for the results to be announced.

Sebastian with the dramatic flourish that he uses when acting as a DM in Solarian Chronicles, started announcing the results.

"In fourth place with a total of 35 points out of 40...Alex."

Alex, surprisingly, did not pout at being fourth.  

"In third place with a total of 36 points...Sebastian."  Everyone congratulated him for his placement, and Sebastian did not look unhappy at the result.

"In second place with 37 points...Sam." Sam did a mock bow to the audience.

"And the winner of the Come Dine With Me Stardew Valley edition -  with 38 points...is Abigail!"  Abigail jumped up for joy in winning the 1000G prize, with greater excitement than she exhibits winning the annual Egg Hunt.  

As they finished their drinks, Sebastian invited Alex to their next game night, to which Alex accepted. 

Perhaps, Alex thought, as he went back to his grandparents' house, it is time to leave his preconceived notions of the trio behind him and allow them be themselves.  

Perhaps, Sebastian thought, as he went about cleaning up the kitchen after everyone left, Alex was not as bad as he had thought he was.

Maybe, Sam thought, as he went on his way after dropping Alex off at his grandparents, the four of them can be friends.

And maybe, Abigail thought, Alex would stop calling her names and act more respectfully to her. 

...one week later...game night...

The trio brought in Alex into a new Solarian Chronicles campaign as a bard, with Abigail as healer, Sam as warrior and Sebastian as wizard.  The four of them lost that particular campaign but found a synergy as a team.  

..the following week...at the saloon...

Sam found Alex just outside the saloon with his dog and invited him to their saloon night.  Alex accepted...and found himself challenged by Sebastian in a game of pool.  Although he admitted he was a bit rusty, Sebastian was impressed with Alex's skill...and although Sebastian won the match, Alex was not that far behind.

Abigail, the one who initially balked at Alex joining them at both game night and the saloon, admitted that Alex did change for the better, and invited him to play Journey of the Prairie King with her.  As Alex never played before, Abigail, Sam and Sebastian showed him how to play...then the four of them managed to get to the second level before they all died.

Maybe, after all, they can all share the same sandbox and get along...


End file.
